The Incredible Painted Grain Silos Of Northam, Western Australia

There's no reasons silos can't be a work of art.

Art in the Wheatbelt - these painted grain silos took 400 hours to create.

Locals are now used to the sight, but for tourists, the spectacular art painted on 36 metre high grain silos, is a thing of surprising beauty on the landscape of the iconic Western Australian Wheatbelt.

Northam is one of WA's key grain growing regions. Just 90 minutes drive east of Perth, the area has recently become an unlikely place for works of art.

UK artist Phlegm and US artist Alex Brewer, known as Hense, are both internationally recognised artists, renowned for painting on a large scale.

The artists were commissioned to paint the silos in a joint venture between WA's grain handler, CBH, and local cultural organisation FORM.

Both artists approached their work in entirely different ways; Phlegm was inspired by the Wheatbelt's rich history of aviation, incuding ballooning and gliding.

Phlegm

While the silos were undergoing their transformation into works of art, work continued at the CBH site, with about 50,000 tonnes of grain collected over the two weeks; that's an average of 70 truck movements a day.

Phlegm
UK artist Phlegm was inspired by the Wheatbelt's history of aviation.

Hense chose to use his silo canvas as an explosion of colour.

Hense
The artists worked on 'cherry pickers' across 400 hours of painting time.

Hense
US artist Hense chose to paint the silos with vibrant, rich colours.

Both Phlegm and Hense have said that in all their years of painting large objects, these 'art in the Wheatbelt' creations are something they are incredibly proud of - giving people yet another reason to visit beautiful WA.

FORM has been approached by around 200 people suggesting other large public artworks throughout the Wheatbelt - with plans for an 'artists trail' across the state.